What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bingham has the shortest commute (28 min average).

Solon has the most expensive homes ($184k median).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Bingham	Solon
People
Population	660Lowest	963Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.1%Highest ME: +2.6%	-7.1%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	56±8.2Highest 25% above ME	45.9±5.4Lowest about the ME average
	Bingham and Solon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.6%±6.8Lowest ME: 18.1%	17.2%±4.6Highest ME: 18.1%
	Solon and Bingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	38.3%±4Highest ME: 22.4%	23.9%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.6%Lowest ME: 36.2%	25%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±2.6Highest ME: 5.8%	1.3%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Bingham and Solon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$42,708±$22kLowest 43% below ME	$69,205±$20kHighest 7% below ME
	Solon and Bingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$103,000±$26kLowest 65% below ME	$183,600±$12kHighest 38% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$354±$264Lowest 69% below ME	$915±$100Highest 20% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,059Lowest 65% below ME	$1,854Highest 39% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±45.9Highest ME: 48.4%	14.6%±48.8Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Bingham and Solon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.1%Highest ME: 10.7%	10.7%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.9%Lowest ME: 74.3%	88.6%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 25 yrs older than ME	1978Highest 1 yr newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 13% above ME	52 minHighest 113% above ME
Work from home	8.8%±6Lowest ME: 15.9%	9.1%±4.7Highest ME: 15.9%
	Solon and Bingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	RSU 83/MSAD 13	RSU 74/MSAD 74
High school in town	Upper Kennebec Valley Middle/Senior High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	7.3	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

ME average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.